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Martingate Scandal
The 'Martingate Scandal '''is the informal name for a major political scandal in Georgeland, which began in March 2017 and culminated in an early election for the House of Commons in August. The scandal began with allegations the country's President, Eileen Purves, had concealed a breast cancer diagnosis from the public. After weeks of Senate hearings, Purves resigned. The scandal continued, however, when former Prime Minister and current Mayor of Santa Christina Campbell Rhodes was nominated by the government to succeed Purves. Rhodes is married to the incumbent Prime Minister, Deborah Rhodes, and was considered the most powerful figure in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The scandal resulted in Rhodes' nomination being rejected by Parliament and a successful motion of no confidence in his wife's government, thus triggering a general election. The name 'Martingate' was applied by the media to the scandal due to the president's official residence being named Martin Hall, after Victor Martin, the country's first president. 2016 election and aftermath Incumbent president Eileen Purves won the 2016 presidential election comfortably, despite coming only third in the primary vote, behind James Bradford, the Conservative candidate, and Senator Greg Downes, the Green Party's leader. Purves was re-elected because of a high preference flow to her from independent candidates, and a higher-than-usual flow of preferences from former President Lois Daniels, whose initial lead in the polls evaporated after a series of gaffes and revelations she had offered a series of unpaid internships. Purves' campaign was managed largely by the Liberal Democratic Party, whose president, Campbell Rhodes, had sought the presidency in 2008. Rhodes' wife, Deborah Rhodes, was Prime Minister but remained largely absent from the campaign, since the 2016 general election was only months away. Purves was sworn in for a second term on May 1. On 1 March 2017, Purves' office announced she was in treatment for breast cancer. Newspaper the Globe and Standard had published a story to that effect 2 days before. Purves' announcement declared this was her second treatment, the first having begun in January 2016. This meant she was diagnosed before her re-election campaign. Immediately after the announcement was made, the Conservative Party demanded an inquiry into the concealment of the diagnosis. The Tories, as well as sections of the media and other opposition parties, maintained that if the diagnosis had been known, it might have affected the result, as people would have known they were electing a president who had cancer. Tory leader Madeline Woods insisted she wished Purves a recovery, but declared that there had to have been a conspiracy within the Liberal Democrats to keep the diagnosis secret, which could be interpreted as a case of electoral fraud. The government, President, and LDP rejected any claim of a conspiracy. The diagnosis had been known to the president herself only, and her close family, according to both Mr and Mrs Rhodes, the President, her Chief of Staff, and several other LDP officials. The Liberal Democrats accused the Tories of politicizing the cancer. "This is not how you respond to a cancer diagnosis with respect and empathy," Mrs Rhodes declared in the House of Commons. Despite this, an opinion poll suggested 43% of the country believed the president had deliberately concealed her cancer to influence the election, and almost the same amount said it would have affected their vote if they'd known. Senate hearings The Senate passed a resolution on 13 March in which it called for the establishment of a special Senate Committee to investigate the President's 2016 campaign. The resolution did not specify any terms of reference beyond Senate standing orders, which gave it the power to call any witnesses it chose (though executive officials could receive a waiver from the Attorney-General) and questions did not have to be specifically related to the issue. The motion to establish the hearing was proposed by Conservative senator Mark Baxter and seconded by John Cox, also a Conservative. The motion was opposed by the Liberal Democrats but supported by all other parties, and the final resolution passed by 48 votes to 24. Baxter was elected Chairman of the Senate Committee on the 2016 Presidential Election. Normally, a Senate committee is chaired by a government Senator, but the Senate voted specifically to choose an opposition senator as chairman due to the committee's nature. The Liberal Democrats also failed at getting one of their own chosen as deputy chair, with that position going to Senator Florence Roberts of the Georgeland Alliance. The full Committee of nine members was: * Brad Zimmerman (CON, SCO) - chair * Florence Roberts (GAL, BRA) - deputy chair * Hank Garden (CON, DI) * Linda Baez (CON, WM) * Colin Best (LDP, WM) * Yuri Farjenko (LDP, EM) * Lisa Jones (LDP, LI) * Karen Loomis (GRN, CAP) * Ryan Stone (IND, BRA) Hearings began on April 14. Due to the principle of presidential immunity, President Purves herself was not called as a witness. Her Chief of Staff, Daniel Boland, however, was, along with Martin Hall press officer Catherine Powell and her campaign director for 2016, Kate Bell. In addition, other LDP party figures were called including the party's national secretary, Iain Green, and national campaign director, Stephen Ludd. On April 23, Campbell Rhodes was called to testify, due to his role as the LDP's National President. Rhodes had actively campaigned for Purves and had been present at several meetings with the President and her staff. Asked specifically if the President's health had ever been discussed, Rhodes said it had not been discussed in his presence. Rhodes was criticised by Conservative senators for his attitude when giving testimony, with Senator Baxter chastising him repeatedly for flippant, rude or unhelpful answers. He would often question and challenge single words used by the committee, which members believed was an attempt to obfuscate and stall for time. This exchange, from his second day of testimony on 18 May, was cited later as the height of Rhodes' behaviour to the committee. : ''Senator Garden: ''"''How many meetings did you have with the President, in person, in your capacity as party president, during the latter half of 2015 and the first half of 2016? : Mr Rhodes: "By 'half', Senator, to what do you refer? : Senator Garden: "I mean half, are you asking me to clarify the word 'half'?" : Mr Rhodes: "I would appreciate a clarification, yes." : Senator Garden: "Half means fifty percent, one equal portion. I don't understand why you are unclear on this point." : Mr Rhodes: "Do you mean from July 2015, or from some other date?" : Senator Garden: "From July 2015." : Mr Rhodes: "Until which date?" : Senator Garden: "Until June 2016, is that clear enough?" : Mr Rhodes: "Are you asking me the number of meetings I had with President Purves in person between the month of July 2015 and the month of June 2016?" : Senator Garden: "Yes." : Mr Rhodes: "Can you define the word 'meeting', Senator?" After four days of testimony, Rhodes had repeatedly denied any knowledge of the President's diagnosis, despite having been heavily involved in her campaign. On April 28, Deborah Rhodes, the incumbent Prime Minister, was called to testify. It is unusual for a Prime Minister to testify before a Senate committee, although there is no rule to prevent it. Mrs. Rhodes' testimony was the same as her husbands, in some cases word-for-word, and the majority of her responses were simple 'yes' or 'no' answers. Media coverage of the hearings was intense, with several journalists live tweeting the entire event, and with rolling coverage on GBC Parliament. Purves resigns The hearings having continued for a month, polling continued to show that 43% of people believed the LDP had instigated a cover-up, and that 52% believed Purves should resign. After initially stating, in early April, that she would neither temporarily stand down nor resign, Purves was consistently shown poor polling information. Her approval rating as president dipped into the high thirties. A poll in very late May showed LDP support was significantly affected by the Purves scandal. Purves met with LDP officials on May 1, and with the Cabinet on May 2. At both these meetings, insiders later reported (anonymously), Purves was advised that her position was untenable and harming the government. On the evening of May 3, Purves announced on TV that she would resign the presidency, effective at noon the following day. Purves became the first president to resign since Hank Reynolds in 2003. Her resignation was the first under the new constitution, in which the president was directly-elected. On May 4, Purves quietly departed Martin Hall and drove to her home city, New Kikipolis. She declined to appear in any interviews or make any media appearances, with a single press statement saying she was planning to focus on her family for the time being. Under the constitution, the longest-serving state Governor, Delmago Island's Malika Chadhar, became Acting President. The Senate committee voted on 9 May to end all process, but voted 6-3 along party lines to formally censure the former president. This decision had no legal effect. Appointment process The constitution permitted Parliament, with a simple majority of both houses, voting together, to nominate a president for the remainder of Purves' term (until July 1, 2020). The government did not initially nominate a replacement, instead repeating their assertion that Chadhar would continue to act as president for several weeks, while the situation was discussed. Several names were leaked to the media, though accounts differ as to whether they were under serious consideration or merely to act as red herrings. Names included the Chief Justice of Georgeland, Jordan Haslem (appointed just months before), his predecessor Emily O'Connor, the former Governor of Scoita, Don Mendez, or the Chief of Navy, Admiral Brian Conway. Other than Mendez, all of these names were apolitical figures with no connection to the Liberal Democrats. On May 16, Campbell Rhodes' name was mentioned in the media for the first time. Rumours of his appointment continued after Deputy Prime Minister David Keeler told GBC News that since a Liberal Democrat had won the presidency in 2016, another Liberal Democrat should replace her. The government, and Rhodes, made no public statements on the potential for his nomination for the presidency. The government repeatedly said no decision had been made and Rhodes said his focus was continuing as Mayor of Santa Christina, a job to which he had been re-elected the previous year. Rhodes nominated Rhodes' name was formally announced on June 14. The announcement, usually made by the Prime Minister, was instead made by her deputy, Keeler. Mrs Rhodes had departed for the United Kingdom three days before, where she was to discuss trade policy post-Brexit. The government's rationale for choosing Rhodes was that he was a high-profile, unifying figure, that he had more than sufficient qualifications for the job, and that he was a loyal member of the LDP. Immediately, criticism was rampant. Opposition leader Madeline Woods attacked the appointment as 'a nepotistic dictatorship', liking both Campbell and Deborah Rhodes to African dictators. Criticism was not limited to the opposition - the Green Party, Alliance and even some members of the LDP expressed their opposition. Greens leader Greg Downes said "The Prime Minister cannot, should not, and must not, appoint her husband to the presidency. That flies in the face of our separation of powers, our democracy and our system of government. It makes a mockery of the constitution, and cements one family as absolute rulers." Five members of the ministry - Zelda Mitchell (Trade & Tourism, in Cabinet), Lisa Foster (Community Services), Greg Ryder (Territories & Local Government), Naomi Dulles (Defence Science & Industry) and Marie Keenan (Science & Technology) resigned in protest at the decision. Mr Rhodes, for his part, said the nomination was surprising, but that he had been urged to accept by his party. Public opinion was almost universally negative, with social media being especially critical. Confirmation vote The government acted swiftly to appoint Rhodes as president, bypassing usual parliamentary procedure for appointments. On June 15, the Leader of the House, Janet Hunt, announced the appointment would proceed with little debate, due to the need for the country 'to move on'. This decision, too, was roundly criticised. Meeting as one on June 16, both the House of Commons and the Senate voted on the confirmation. A cloture motion, supported by the LDP, succeeded in closing almost all debate on the appointment. Several opposition senators were not present for the debate, meaning the LDP had the numbers to ensure cloture succeeded. Before the vote Keeler and Hunt, as well as the government's Senate leader, Mark Duffy, said they were confident the appointment would proceed. The government had a bare majority of both houses - 173 out of 345. However, following Ryder's resignation he announced he would not support the appointment. The decision to disallow debate was, according to Ryder, an attempt to ensure some members did not vote, in order to cement the razor-thin majority. The tactic failed. Moments before the vote, all members of both houses, save Deborah Rhodes herself, were present to be counted. 173 members voted against the appointment, with 166 voting for and five abstaining. It was the first ever defeat for a presidential appointment in parliament (which always made them between 1958 and 2004). The Liberal Democrats who voted against were Ryder, Foster, Ronan Dwight, Ian Gough, Troy Ross and Leanne Pershaw. Keenan, Geoffrey Loomis, Ralph Foster and Felicity Porthrop abstained. Dulles and Mitchell voted to confirm, despite having resigned. Motion of no confidence Immediately following the vote, Keeler re-iterated that Rhodes was the government's nominee, and that no other name would be submitted. He did not announce a second vote, or make any further statement. Keeler, along with other MPs, then attended the House of Commons shortly before 2pm, when Question Time was due to begin. Shortly after the Speaker, Greg Seegert, took the chair, Woods spoke and moved a motion of no-confidence against the government. House rules do not prohibit cloture or suspension of a no-confidence vote, and Seegert had to permit Woods to speak and a vote to be taken. After about twenty minutes of debate, Woods moved the motion be taken to a vote. By voice vote, it was decided to hold a division (mandatory only for confidence matters). The government, which had 145 MPs ion the chamber, was expected to win easily. However, as soon as the vote was announced thirteen Liberal Democrats led by Ryder crossed the floor and voted with the opposition. The thirteen MPs were: * Greg Ryder (Knowles) * Robert Young (Bruce) * Michael Bridger (Clarke) * Lawrence McCallum (O'Rourke) * Iain Freeman (Flitcroft) * Bob Matthews (Timms) * George Forrester (Edwards) * Mervyn Couch (Beale) * Simon Newman (Fletcher) * Stephen Rogers (Chipwich South) * Henry Poole (Nottingham East) * Albert Doody (Witherspoon) * Anthony Monk (Lyndhurst) Of the defectors, only Ryder had voted against the Rhodes appointment. All the remainder had voted in favour. During subsequent events, McCallum, Monk and Couch all told the media they had decided to support the no-confidence motion only after the confirmation vote. Dissolution of the House